DAWN Editorials - 15th April 2025
Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2025 1:19 pm
Iran slayings
THE brutal killings of eight Pakistani workers in Iran on Saturday underscore the need for both countries to cooperate in the field of counterterrorism, and defeat common enemies determined to sour relations.
The atrocity took place in a town in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan province, which borders Pakistan, in a region known for its volatility on both sides. All the victims, who worked at a motor workshop, hailed from the Bahawalpur area, and were reportedly killed execution-style.
Two groups representing very different strands of terrorism claimed to have carried out this grisly crime: the Balochistan National/Nationalist Army and Jaish al-Adl. The former is a Baloch separatist group that has remained largely inactive in the recent past, while the latter is an avatar of Jundullah, an Iranian Baloch group with religious leanings. The BNA has in the past been involved in terrorist activity inside Pakistan, while Jaish al-Adl usually targets Iranian security forces.
The last such attack occurred in October 2024, killing at least 10 Iranian border guards near the Pakistani frontier. Meanwhile, workers from Punjab were also murdered by terrorists in Sistan-Baluchestan in January 2024. State authorities on both sides must investigate the latest attack, while Tehran should locate the perpetrators and bring them to justice. It should also ensure that Pakistanis working in Iran are provided with adequate security.
The gruesome crime mirrors several such attacks in Balochistan, in which terrorists have murdered innocent people based on their ethnic origin. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called upon Iran to hand out exemplary punishment to those involved, while the Iranian foreign ministry has promised to “spare no effort” to get to the culprits. With regard to who may actually be behind this atrocious crime, the Iranian ambassador to Pakistan has said “traitorous elements, in collaboration with international terrorism” are involved. Further clarity is needed to determine who exactly these elements are.
The fact is that both Pakistan and Iran face common enemies in the shape of non-state actors involved in terrorism. The prime minister has also highlighted this matter. That is why it is important for both to strengthen CT cooperation, and ensure that their respective territories are not used against each other. These malign actors must not be allowed to target innocent people, and damage bilateral ties. Security should particularly be beefed up in the border areas to prevent militant groups and criminal gangs from exploiting ungoverned spaces and remote locations.
It is well known that some hostile foreign actors may be looking to fuel unrest in the Pakistan-Iran border region by encouraging proxies to carry out acts of terrorism. That is why the governments of both states need to remain alert and jointly thwart such nefarious plans.
Published in Dawn, April 15th, 2025
AI in the courts
SUPREME Court Justices Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi and Mansoor Ali Shah’s judgment on the use of AI in the judiciary landed last week as a pleasant surprise. In their judgement, the honourable justices have reasoned that AI ought to be “welcomed with careful optimism” as a solution to the many issues plaguing the Pakistani judiciary. The judgement in question, authored by Justice Shah, notes at one point: “There is an urgent need to examine the systemic causes of […] delays [in the dispensation of justice] and to devise innovative court and case management systems, particularly at the level of the district judiciary, where the bulk of such disputes originate and where the pressure of case pendency is most acutely felt.” It is in these areas, the judges believe, that AI can be of good use to the judiciary, with the judgement noting that AI could offer a “promising path to operational reform, provided its adoption remains grounded in principled constitutional limits”. While optimistic, the judgement also cautions in detail against overreliance on AI, indicating that it was arrived at after serious and careful deliberation. Such a positive approach to improvement and innovation should always be welcomed.
Other components of the state would do well to follow the Supreme Court. AI is often talked about as the next big disruption after the Industrial Revolution. Where the latter led to the mechanisation of manual labour, AI promises to automate cognitive labour; the Industrial Revolution resulted in economies shifting from agrarian to industrial, while AI is expected to catalyse the transition from industrial to digital or knowledge-based economies. The Supreme Court, at least, sees the immense potential in AI. Other branches of the Pakistani state should also start considering the dividends of an AI-led upgrade. For now, AI seems to be just another buzzword for our policymakers — there is as yet no indication that they have a comprehensive strategy for leveraging this technology to adapt quickly to an already fast-changing world. But strategic and progressive implementation could help Pakistan make huge leaps forward. In particular, AI can help the state cut red tape, overcome dysfunction, and greatly improve service delivery. If, however, Pakistan misses this boat, the country risks being left further behind the rest of the world. More progressive voices are needed in the corridors of state power.
Published in Dawn, April 15th, 2025
Refusal crisis
PAKISTAN’S polio case count, with 105 days of the year lapsed so far, is in the single digits. But the question is: for how long? Environmental surveillance has detected poliovirus in sewage samples from 20 districts signalling that transmission persists across both urban and rural settings. The virus continues to circulate silently in communities where immunisation coverage remains uneven. That even Karachi — with its size, connectivity and relatively better health infrastructure — is witnessing a surge in vaccine refusals speaks volumes about the scale of the challenge. According to Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal, as much as 85pc of all reported polio vaccine refusals in the country are concentrated in the city. Conspiracy theories about infertility, non-halal ingredients, and foreign agendas continue to circulate, particularly among Pakhtun and Urdu-speaking communities. Many households remain sceptical of state-run health campaigns and perceive them as selective interventions rather than genuine care. Gender dynamics also play a role, with women often requiring permission from male family members to vaccinate their children.
Operational missteps add to the challenge. The introduction of new methods — such as needle-free jet injectors — has, in some cases, sparked confusion and fear among parents unfamiliar with these technologies. Without prior sensitisation or explanation, such changes have fuelled further scepticism and inadvertently contributed to higher refusal rates. While officials have rightly reiterated that the oral polio vaccine is safe and essential, the message fails to resonate in communities where trust in the state is low and communication poorly tailored. Threats of legal penalties will only deepen resistance. The upcoming April 21 campaign offers a critical opportunity. The state must move beyond top-down directives and foster community-led engagement. Religious leaders, elders, and teachers must be enlisted to build trust and dispel myths. The state must win the confidence of its people — one conversation, one household, and one drop at a time.
Published in Dawn, April 15th, 2025[/size]
THE brutal killings of eight Pakistani workers in Iran on Saturday underscore the need for both countries to cooperate in the field of counterterrorism, and defeat common enemies determined to sour relations.
The atrocity took place in a town in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan province, which borders Pakistan, in a region known for its volatility on both sides. All the victims, who worked at a motor workshop, hailed from the Bahawalpur area, and were reportedly killed execution-style.
Two groups representing very different strands of terrorism claimed to have carried out this grisly crime: the Balochistan National/Nationalist Army and Jaish al-Adl. The former is a Baloch separatist group that has remained largely inactive in the recent past, while the latter is an avatar of Jundullah, an Iranian Baloch group with religious leanings. The BNA has in the past been involved in terrorist activity inside Pakistan, while Jaish al-Adl usually targets Iranian security forces.
The last such attack occurred in October 2024, killing at least 10 Iranian border guards near the Pakistani frontier. Meanwhile, workers from Punjab were also murdered by terrorists in Sistan-Baluchestan in January 2024. State authorities on both sides must investigate the latest attack, while Tehran should locate the perpetrators and bring them to justice. It should also ensure that Pakistanis working in Iran are provided with adequate security.
The gruesome crime mirrors several such attacks in Balochistan, in which terrorists have murdered innocent people based on their ethnic origin. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called upon Iran to hand out exemplary punishment to those involved, while the Iranian foreign ministry has promised to “spare no effort” to get to the culprits. With regard to who may actually be behind this atrocious crime, the Iranian ambassador to Pakistan has said “traitorous elements, in collaboration with international terrorism” are involved. Further clarity is needed to determine who exactly these elements are.
The fact is that both Pakistan and Iran face common enemies in the shape of non-state actors involved in terrorism. The prime minister has also highlighted this matter. That is why it is important for both to strengthen CT cooperation, and ensure that their respective territories are not used against each other. These malign actors must not be allowed to target innocent people, and damage bilateral ties. Security should particularly be beefed up in the border areas to prevent militant groups and criminal gangs from exploiting ungoverned spaces and remote locations.
It is well known that some hostile foreign actors may be looking to fuel unrest in the Pakistan-Iran border region by encouraging proxies to carry out acts of terrorism. That is why the governments of both states need to remain alert and jointly thwart such nefarious plans.
Published in Dawn, April 15th, 2025
AI in the courts
SUPREME Court Justices Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi and Mansoor Ali Shah’s judgment on the use of AI in the judiciary landed last week as a pleasant surprise. In their judgement, the honourable justices have reasoned that AI ought to be “welcomed with careful optimism” as a solution to the many issues plaguing the Pakistani judiciary. The judgement in question, authored by Justice Shah, notes at one point: “There is an urgent need to examine the systemic causes of […] delays [in the dispensation of justice] and to devise innovative court and case management systems, particularly at the level of the district judiciary, where the bulk of such disputes originate and where the pressure of case pendency is most acutely felt.” It is in these areas, the judges believe, that AI can be of good use to the judiciary, with the judgement noting that AI could offer a “promising path to operational reform, provided its adoption remains grounded in principled constitutional limits”. While optimistic, the judgement also cautions in detail against overreliance on AI, indicating that it was arrived at after serious and careful deliberation. Such a positive approach to improvement and innovation should always be welcomed.
Other components of the state would do well to follow the Supreme Court. AI is often talked about as the next big disruption after the Industrial Revolution. Where the latter led to the mechanisation of manual labour, AI promises to automate cognitive labour; the Industrial Revolution resulted in economies shifting from agrarian to industrial, while AI is expected to catalyse the transition from industrial to digital or knowledge-based economies. The Supreme Court, at least, sees the immense potential in AI. Other branches of the Pakistani state should also start considering the dividends of an AI-led upgrade. For now, AI seems to be just another buzzword for our policymakers — there is as yet no indication that they have a comprehensive strategy for leveraging this technology to adapt quickly to an already fast-changing world. But strategic and progressive implementation could help Pakistan make huge leaps forward. In particular, AI can help the state cut red tape, overcome dysfunction, and greatly improve service delivery. If, however, Pakistan misses this boat, the country risks being left further behind the rest of the world. More progressive voices are needed in the corridors of state power.
Published in Dawn, April 15th, 2025
Refusal crisis
PAKISTAN’S polio case count, with 105 days of the year lapsed so far, is in the single digits. But the question is: for how long? Environmental surveillance has detected poliovirus in sewage samples from 20 districts signalling that transmission persists across both urban and rural settings. The virus continues to circulate silently in communities where immunisation coverage remains uneven. That even Karachi — with its size, connectivity and relatively better health infrastructure — is witnessing a surge in vaccine refusals speaks volumes about the scale of the challenge. According to Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal, as much as 85pc of all reported polio vaccine refusals in the country are concentrated in the city. Conspiracy theories about infertility, non-halal ingredients, and foreign agendas continue to circulate, particularly among Pakhtun and Urdu-speaking communities. Many households remain sceptical of state-run health campaigns and perceive them as selective interventions rather than genuine care. Gender dynamics also play a role, with women often requiring permission from male family members to vaccinate their children.
Operational missteps add to the challenge. The introduction of new methods — such as needle-free jet injectors — has, in some cases, sparked confusion and fear among parents unfamiliar with these technologies. Without prior sensitisation or explanation, such changes have fuelled further scepticism and inadvertently contributed to higher refusal rates. While officials have rightly reiterated that the oral polio vaccine is safe and essential, the message fails to resonate in communities where trust in the state is low and communication poorly tailored. Threats of legal penalties will only deepen resistance. The upcoming April 21 campaign offers a critical opportunity. The state must move beyond top-down directives and foster community-led engagement. Religious leaders, elders, and teachers must be enlisted to build trust and dispel myths. The state must win the confidence of its people — one conversation, one household, and one drop at a time.
Published in Dawn, April 15th, 2025[/size]